But these riders all have had experience on a variety of mounts, so the challenge should be something they take in stride. Luck plays a bigger part in this championship than most, I think, and in the last round, the competitors are going to be dealing with some very tired horses.
There's always been a lot of talk about changing this format, but it hasn't happened so far (and it certainly isn't going to happen before tomorrow) so we'll just have to see how it plays out.
I asked John Madden, Beezie's husband and trainer, what he thought about how things had gone to this point--you can listen to his answer in this audio clip.
Listen:
John Madden discusses what is important to the Maddens and how they view this final.
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- The Final Four: Beezie Madden, Edwina Alexander, Jos Lansink and Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum
- © Nancy Jaffer 2006
Today was really interesting. Frank Rothenberger designed two different courses, with the second one shorter than the first. There were some different fences than we've seen before; a big oxer with birch standards and a little ditch underneath it, and a golden triple built to resemble the candle holders in the Aachen cathedral. (That's what Beezie is jumping in the picture at the beginning of this article.)
You needed to have both power and finesse at your command this afternoon; one mistake, and you were cooked.
McLain Ward had been sitting fifth and we all hoped he and Sapphire would make the final four along with Beezie. But two knockdowns in the first round put him out of it, and he blamed himself. Listen to his explanation and know that you'll watch him going for it again really soon--at the World Cup, the Olympics or the next WEG in 2010, and he will doubtless be on the receiving end of a big title one of these days.
Listen:
McLain Ward explains what went wrong.
Okay, let's see how tomorrow goes. I will fill you in right before I leave Aachen.
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